Meredith Melland

Recent Articles

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — An 88-year-old woman who was reported missing from south suburban Palos Heights was found safe Friday. Delores Eriksen left Palos Heights for Evergreen Park Thursday morning. She called her daughter at about 3:45 p.m. to say she was lost. She did not have a cell phone and borrowed a phone to make the call. Police provided no other information about how she was found, only saying that she was safely located.

CHICAGO — Former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould sent his biggest fan a surprise present for his ninth birthday. Chase Ewoldt has brain cancer and is a patient at Chicago’s Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. He was only expected to survive to his third birthday. Robbie Gould met the Ewoldt family a few years ago through his charity work at Lurie’s, which is how he stays connected with Chicago now that he plays for the San Francisco 49ers. He […]

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — A 4-year-old girl from the northwest suburbs warmed hands and hearts this holiday season with her “Cocoa for a Cause” stand. Ashley Herling said her daughter Delaney begged her parents to let her start a lemonade stand since they moved into their new house three months ago. They let up this winter, and helped her put on a hot cocoa stand instead. When asked what she wanted to do with the cocoa stand earnings, Delaney said: […]

OSHKOSH, Wis. — A former YMCA employee in Wisconsin who played Santa was charged with two counts of first degree child sexual assault last week. Oshkosh police visited an Oshkosh YMCA last week when workers in the facility’s Children’s Drop Off Center and Child Care Center reported that a parent witnessed BT Adams kiss a three-year-old girl on the mouth, according to Green Bay station WBAY. Court documents obtained by WBAY say YMCA workers found surveillance videos showing Adams kissing and […]

OAK LAWN, Ill. — When 13-year-old Andrew Bisaga was blindfolded and escorted into a limo with his family, he had no idea he would be spending the day with some of his heroes — the Chicago Bears. The teen, who was diagnosed with bone cancer just over a year ago, is now in remission. To celebrate, Advocate Children’s Hospital and the Bears collaborated on a “Dream Come True” event to honor Andrew and his family. The family, from St. John, Indiana, […]

CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the James Beard Awards, the “Oscars of the food industry,” will extend its run in Chicago through 2027. Emanuel joined WGN Morning News in studio Monday morning to talk about the impact of the Beard Awards on Chicago, the city’s growing food and entertainment sectors and the increased tourism rate. “The Beard Award brought a floodlight onto the city in neon, and the great news is that all of our chefs have stepped up […]

WHITING, Ind. — A wedding photographer captured a moment for a northwest Indiana family that they weren’t sure was possible — the bride’s father, who is battling ALS, got up out of his wheelchair and danced with his daughter. “I have never documented something so beautiful in my life,” photographer Elias Pabon said in a Facebook post with the video, which has been viewed over 32,000 times. “This is what strength is. This man inspires me. I was even crying behind […]

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Police are searching for two teenage girls who went missing last month from Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center in Carbondale, Ill. Anna Racine, 16, from Earlville, Ill., and Melissa Camargo, 15, from Rockford, Ill., ran away from the center and were last seen Nov. 13. Local police searched the area, but did not find them. Their families have not received contact, and are worried about their safety. Racine is 5’4”, weighs 120 pounds and has wavy […]

LOS ANGELES — Marvel Studios released the trailer for the fourth Avengers film, titled “Avengers: Endgame,” to be released in April 2019. “Endgame” finds Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) trying to recover from the widespread devastation and missing heroes left by the evil Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity Wars.” The heroes are scattered across the universe and trying not to lose hope. The trailer opens with an almost Hamlet-like sequence of Iron […]

CAIRO — Egyptian actress Rania Youssef could face up to five years in prison for daring to wear a sheer gown on the red carpet. Youssef was attending the Cairo International Film Festival last week and wore a black bodysuit covered with a sheer, beaded gown that shows her legs. She was charged with public obscenity or “incitement to debauchery” by three lawyers known for filing moral vigilance lawsuits, according to The New York Times. “I probably miscalculated when I […]